you should not start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if you have symptoms such as persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. since enbrel helped relieve my joint pain, it's the little things that mean the most. ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. [ doctor ] enbrel, the number one biologic medicine prescribed by rheumatologists. ♪ ♪ right now on "andrea mitchell reports" -- a day to pray, a day to heal. >> i experienced the terror of a car bomb that exploded on my route. i will never forget the sound of the blast, the confused rush of humanity. >> president obama kmsts a city and a nation still coming to

grips with monday's bombings. >> it should be pretty clear by now that they picked the wrong city to do it. not here in boston. we may be momentarily knocked off our feet. but we'll pick ourselves up. we'll keep going. we will finish the race. >> and in a small texas town, the frantic search for survivors after an explosion with the force of a small earthquake rips through a fertilizer plant. leveling dozens of homes, a middle school, a nursing home only blocks away. >> we heard a boom and right after the, right after we heard

the boom and the concussion hit. it was enough to -- take your breath away. >> the school is gone. the apartments are gone. it's horrible. >> they are still in the search and rescue process. it is a very slow, methodical search at this point and they are using every available resource they have to do that correctly and make sure we don't miss anything or anybody. here in washington an explosion of anger and frustration over the senate's refusal to pass any gun legislation. in a searing "new york times" column former congresswoman gabrielle giffords calls lawmakers cowards for ignoring pleas from the newtown families. >> wow, what a day yesterday. what a terrible day for our country. failing to pass background checks, was a moment of shame for the senate. at least gabby and i think so. some of you may have read her

opinion piece in the "new york times." gabby is angry today. and she's horrified by the decision of a minority of her former colleagues, to block progress on this measure. >> good day, i'm andrea mitchell, a very busy day all around the country. here in washington as well. the president tried to comfort the nation in boston and talked about the enduring spirit of bostonians. nbc's ann thompson and lester holt are live in boston and nbc justice correspondent pete williams is here with us in washington. you were in the cathedral, it was so moving to watch. tell me about that gathering and cardinal o'malley and the president and mayor menino and of course the governor. >> you know, andrea, it sort of ping-ponged from the memorial service to almost a pep rally for boston. i couldn't help but think as i watched mayor thomas menino

stand, that he came to personify his city. he has been hospitalized for a respiratory infection and a broken leg. he stood today to deliver remarks and like his city, he has been wounded, but he is not down. and he told the world that boston is a city of courage, strength and compassion. and he said they will be back. and then when president obama spoke, i mean it really was almost like a pep rally. people were cheering, he got a couple of standing ovations. and especially when he said that they will come back, the world will come back and run the 118th boston marathon, which will happen next april, people just stood, i saw one man, he was wiping away tears from his eyes. it was a very emotional moment. but this is a city that has been bruised this week. but is determined to get back up and will go on. and as the president said, you could feel it in that cathedral, they are determined to finish this race.

>> leften, you have been in boston, you've seen, what bostonians feel in their gut. tell me what's happening there today, the search continues for evidence of course, we'll get to pete on that in a moment. >> it was remarkable to watch people. i got here early this morning. a little before 6:00 in the morning. and the line was already stretched down the street for people wanting to get the 1,000 seats that had been reserved for members of the general public. it was a cold morning, there were people who didn't get in, standing behind us, clutching radios and smartphones watching the service. there were smatterings of applause at the same moments we heard the applause inside the cathedral itself and afterwards, a choir spontaneously began singing patriotic songs "god bless america" and the national anthem. people were clearly moved by this. it's interesting when you see these kind of services, andrea. we talk about the goodness of

people. people running toward the explosion and helping people. and the truth is, that's the norm. that's why we have the events. so we can remember people are mostly good, people mostly want to do the right thing. you look back to flight 93 and the passengers and crew aboard that. that's the american spirit, that's the boston spirit and i think there's real importance to having these kinds of services that we can remind ourselves, in these unspeakable acts of violence, most people continue to want to be a part of this. they're offering the tips that pete will talk about in a moment. a little bit of information, the photos they're offering, the videos they're offering police in hoping they can track down who did this. it was an important moment for boston and the rest of the country. especially near the end when the president talked about the fact that our freedoms are dear to us

that we will still have the ability to gather and enjoy special moments like the boston marathon. andrea? >> lester, exactly right. he hit every note, as you say, he, by the way the president is right now at mass general. the white house says he will be visiting with the caregivers, with patients, with the families as well privately and before the service today, at the chapel of holy cross, he met with crystal campbell's family. the heartbreaking moment we all experienced with her mother the other day. pete, on the investigative side, i know that janet napolitano testified this morning and play a little bit of her caution to everyone. >> the investigation is proceeding apace and it just, you know, this is not an ncis episode. sometimes you have to take time to properly you know, put the chain together to identify the perpetrators. >> and pete said something that

you as an experienced justice and homeland security correspondent know all too well. the pieces are being put together. tell us where we stand today. >> they're moving on several tracks, andrea. the photo track may be among the most promising. the government believes it has identified two people it wants to find, identify, find and interview. that have been seen acting suspiciously, carrying backpacks, duffle bags that are heavy. they think the bomb weighed 20 pounds, so they're interested in talking to them. they may or may not show us pictures of that. there was some back and forth on this the last 24 hours, about the advantages and disadvantages and we were thinking we might hear about it this afternoon. we may not. that is still in flux. as for the devices themselves, the fbi has been doing what they do on the forensic side, getting the pieces, say where did these pieces come from. going around to hobby stores in the boston area to see if some of the batteries and other components for the devices could have been purchased there. or where else they might be

sold. i think investigators are leaning toward the idea that the bomts were detonated by some sort of remote device. not a timer. so that is something they're pursuing as well. looking at where the pressure cooker would have come from. all the other parts, the gun powder, that's the sort of shoe leather forensic side of this as well. looking at telephone logs, andrea. for people on cell phones and the time right before the bombing, because it's believed that some of the people they're interested in finding were on cell phones. lots of different avenues, including talking to witnesses and analyzing the pieces. we know for a fact, that they have identified through pictures some people, talked to them, ruled them out. now they're in that process on the photo side. >> and just to clarify our terminology here, because we've been so careful. you more than anyone. when and if they find the people, the interesting people in those photographs -- who are "they"? are they witnesses? potential persons of interest?

what do you call them if they find them and bring them in for questioning? >> certainly potential witnesses. because of the pictures. because of their proximity. if they talk to them and they believe they might have been responsible. then they'll become suspects and they'll charge them. >> thank you very much. that has not happened as of now. >> right, exactly. >> thanks, pete. and our thanks to ann thompson and lester holt. meanwhile president obama has arrived at mass general to visit with the victims, nbc's ron allen is there. ron? >> hi there, andrea. there are still 11 patients here at mass general. the president arrived a little before the top of the hour. you can see behind me there are a lot of people taking long lunches, staff from the hospital, hoping to catch a glimpse of the motorcade at the entrance to the hospital, there are people out lining the entrance. the president didn't and would not come in the front door like this. he came around the back and no one saw him. the news from the hospitals across boston continues to be

very good. there are 58 survivors in the hospital and only seven critical. the numbers originally were as high as 175. and 30 and the numbers have continued to come down every day and the doctors are very encouraged about that. there was a particularly good piece of news from one of the hospitals, boston medical center today, there's a 5-year-old boy who had been in critical condition and the doctors said he had recovered enough to take him off that list. and the doctors expressed a lot of optimism that he's going to be just fine. there are still two children, we believe at boston children's hospital who are in critical condition and the president or the first lady may go to visit them perhaps. because obviously their sensitivity and concern about the children who were injured in this horrific accident. this horrific attack, i should say. the news continues to be good from the hospitals here in boston. the every day there are more and more survivors who are released from the hospitals. the doctors caution that even though patients have been released, they still have a long, long way to go to recover

from this attack. >> ron allen thank you very much outside mass general general. rescue workers in the town of west, texas are continuing their search for survivors in the aftermath of the explosion. it was felt more than 50 miles away. i heard it was felt from as far away as 70 miles. residents in the small town in central texas with a population of fewer than 3,000 are grappling with the devastation of their community after a fire tore through a fertilizer plant igniting an explosion that's so far killed at least 15 people, injuring more than 160. police today describe the scale of the damage. >> homes have been destroyed. there are homes flattened. part of that community is gone. >> nbc's charles hadlock is on the ground there and joins me now. what a night, what a scene. i know i was listening to you all night as you were driving

there with maris campo and describing what you seen en route. what did you experience when you first got there? >> well we were in kaufman county following up on the district attorney murders there. and i was inside a building. there was a rumble about 8:55 last night, local time. 7:55 local time, 8:55 eastern and we all felt the thunderstorms aren't supposed to be here until later today, we were expecting rain. and then when i walked outside i realized there were no thunderstorms around. so what was that. and certainly within ten or 15 minutes, we started getting the phone calls about the disaster here in west. there is a pattern of destruction on the landscape here in west, texas. where the plant once stood. emanating out from that is a ring of damage that includes dozens of homes and businesses. that have been destroyed.

the nearby high school has also been damaged. it caught on fire with the debris that rained down from the sky that night. and then a nearby nursing home is also damaged. the patients inside all elderly had to be removed last night and taken to shelter elsewhere in the county. and also a nearby partment complex has been battered and torn beyond recognition. beyond that, there's a death toll here. between five and 15 people are believed to have been killed by this explosion. and in that number is three to four firefighters, the first responders who went out to the plant last night to try to put out the fire, the fire chief says when he realized that the fire was getting out of control, he called his men back but by then it was too late. seven minutes later the entire plant exploded.

>> what about toxic flums, i know there was a weather system coming through, did that blow the fumes out or was there any danger to people? >> no, the fire was brought under control early in the morning. they weren't concerned about that. the rains that came through helped tamhelp ed tamp down any of the smoldering fires. the debris that spread out from the tanks that exploded from that plant rained down on houses and cars, igniting those, there were multiple fires all over town as firefighters from all over the region converged on this little town to put out all the fires. and they did that and they're not concerned about the toxic fumes any more. emanating from the plant. they're treating it as a crime scene interestingly enough and say they want to rule that out before what they believe it really is, simply an industrial accident. >> charles, thank you very much. thanks for your report. president obama and gun

control advocates lost their battle in the senate wednesday, outflanked by the nra. a newtown father and the president both spoke in the rose garden after the votes. >> we return home with the determination that change will happen, maybe not today, but it will happen. >> do we really think that thousands of families whose lives have been shattered by gun violence don't have a right to weigh in on this issue? do we think their emotions, their loss, is not relevant to this debate? so all in all, this was a pretty shameful day for washington. >> pennsylvania senator bob casey joins me now. well, senator, the president saying it is a shameful day. and he took the stick to democrats as well as republicans. is ofa and his campaign organization going to campaign, do you think, against some democrats who voted against this? >> well it's hard to tell what will happen in a political context, but i will say it was a

terrible day for the senate. and for the country. because across our state of pennsylvania, you know pennsylvania well, we've got the second highest number of nra members, we've got over a million hunders. despite those numbers, we have people who hunt and don't hunt who believe we can have some commonsense measures in place, all of which were not passed today. i should say none of which were passed yesterday. we have to keep going because i believe the country is moving in the direction of making sure we have these measures in place. unfortunately yesterday's vote didn't go in the direction i wanted it to. >> your republican senator from pennsylvania of course, pat toomey was the co-author with joe manchin of that compromise. and he also, from an nra gun-owning, hunting state, west virginia. what is the effect on pat toomey? and will you help him politically, if he is punished for his role in this?

>> well it's hard to tell. in terms of the political analysis. i'll leave that to the political scientists, but i was grateful that both joe mansion and pat toomey worked together on one of these issues, the background measure. if that had passed, that would have been significant progress, but i would argue, not nearly enough. because until we have these weapons that should only be used on a battlefield in war. until we get those off the street and until we have a limitation on the number of bullets that one individual can shoot at one time, we're unfortunately going to have tragedies like newtown and other tragedies we've seen over a long period of time. i think the question for me or any united states senator is the following -- have i done enough, by my votes and by my actions to substantially reduce the likelihood that this tragedy or something like it will happen again. if you can answer that in good conscience, then you can sleep at night. i think that's a question a lot

of us have to continue to ask ourselves. >> now the background checks were the only measure that most people thought had a chance of succeeding, of getting close to 60, not the assault weapon ban or the ban on the high-capacity magazines. what did you say to dianne feinstein, if anything after her measure? she persisted in the face of all opposition. and obviously it went down badly. that first vote on the assault weapon ban. >> well, diane, as i go out people have worked for years, have used a phrase in the bible, labored in the vineyard a long time. i just spoke to her a couple of minutes ago before coming here to do the interview and i commended her on the work that she did. and she is committed to keep going. i think we all are, to make sure that we can put in place measures that are common sense, that are supported across the board and i still think we're going to be able to do that. it's going to take time. just like anything difficult. this will take a lot of time and continuing dedication and

commitment to do that. >> do you think it has any chance at all of coming back, this session? >> maybe not in the short run, meaning the next couple of weeks. but i think between now and the end of the session, we should try again. at least one more time on a number of these measures. >> bob casey, thank you, senator, thanks very much. thanks, andrea. this morning's interfaith service brought hundreds together in prayer and music for boston. we want to share more moments from that service throughout our show today. beginning with of course, yo-yo ma. [ male announcer ] how do you measure happiness?

by the armful? by the barrelful? the carful? how about...by the bowlful? campbell's soups give you nutrition, energy, and can help you keep a healthy weight. campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. campbell's. but i see a world bursting with opportunity,ople nervous. with ideas, with ambition. i'm thinking about china, brazil, india. the world's a big place. i want to be a part of it. ishares international etfs. emerging markets and single countries. find out why nine out of ten large professional investors choose ishares for their etfs. ishares by blackrock. call 1-800-ishares for a prospectus, which includes investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. read and consider it carefully before investing. risk includes possible loss of principal.

you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec-d®. powerful relief of nasal congestion and other allergy symptoms -- all in one pill. zyrtec-d®. at the pharmacy counter. bjorn earns unlimited rewards for his small business. take these bags to room 12 please. [ garth ] bjorn's small business earns double miles on every purchase every day. produce delivery. [ bjorn ] just put it on my spark card. [ garth ] why settle for less? ahh, oh! [ garth ] great businesses deserve unlimited rewards. here's your wake up call. [ male announcer ] get the spark business card from capital one and earn unlimited rewards. choose double miles or 2% cash back on every purchase every day. what's in your wallet? [ crows ]

what were the conversations like with folks that you saw ended up voting against your wishes? >> just heartbreaking. you know you tell your story, you tell how you know your loved one died. and they just look at you with this blank look like, there's no compassion in their eyes. they don't really care. they're going to vote no, anyway. so -- >> and you felt that in the room? >> yes, i can feel it in the room. >> that was carly soto, her sister, victoria was gunned down at sandy hook elementary. joining me for the daily fix, chris cillizza and chuck todd. i've heard from others of the newtown families. they went through the motions on the hill. they often did not speak with senators, they spoke to staff and the staff would tell them, we don't know how the senator is going to vote. come on. but they went and they did it. >> well, they were trying to avoid the politics of just not, not looking them in the eye.

>> they didn't want to face these people. >> it just shows you -- how, how much of politics -- in the emotion -- >> how fake it is, perhaps? >> it is fake sometimes. you know, so many people go in there, they feel as if they should look them in the eye. but then you have some that say look, look at saxby chambliss who came out and said i'm not going to agree with them. but how could i not say no to a vote with these people? i think some senators did have that reaction. some maybe hit it back. you hear that and -- it was part of me that was just like, i know exactly, i believe her. i believe that there are people that felt that they had to do this for politics, because it would have looked worse if they would have said no to the meeting and didn't know, maybe was afraid to react. maybe was afraid of making a false promise, who knows the reason for the blank stare. but i'm not surprised. >> chris cillizza, where did you come down on the politics of all

this. was this a defeat for the president? or is the president seen as a fighter, and as a fighter that something that 90% of americans believe in, background checks. how does this cut in the 2014 midterms. >> first on the president, andrea. i think it's the possibility that it's a both "and" to your question. he is both defeated in this and he comes out of this looking like a fighter. the simple fact is this, andrea. this is something that the president of the united states and the vice president of the united states put themselves rhetorically on the line behind. saying the time is now, things are different, we are committed to changing it and there will not be that change that they thought they could bring about. that said, the president was very careful to say this is the first round of a fight. i think the next obvious round is the 2014 election. and chuck will back me up on this. the problem there is there are 14 republicans up in 2014,

andrea, one of them, susan collins, sits in the state that president obama won in 2012. and susan collins voted for cloture, that is to begin the debate and she voted for the manchin-toomey amendment. so of the issues are from mark pryor, mark begich. these are people that are democrats. i can't imagine president obama going after his own to prove his point on background checks organs. i could be wrong. >> heidi heitkamp is not up. >> not until 2018. >> i've heard this from other democratic strategist who is are working on house and senate races. the president actually was articulating the message that democrats are trying to come up with. sort of justifying how they, which is the idea of trying to isolate the republicans and say hey, the republicans in congress are not on your side. so you heard the president say, 90% of democrats were with the

90%, 90% of republicans were not so trying to paint republicans as out of the mainstream. >> what about the fact that he also criticized democrats. how did that go down with the caucus? >> i'm sure it didn't go down very well. but rhetorically they were helped in the fact that even if all the democrats had voted with, had voted for manchin-toomey, they still would have been short. there have been a lot of republicans saying how come you don't talk enough about the bipartisan coalition. the problem is it wasn't a bipartisan coalition, you can't sit there and look at it. there was a bipartisan coalition that almost put cornyn's amendment and got it to the 60 votes, and the fact that cornyn's amendment got more than manchin-toomey is the politics of guns right there, tells the story. >> president obama had powerful words of solidarity for boston. at today's service, at the cathedral of the holy cross. >> like you, michelle and i have

walked these streets. like you, we know these neighborhoods. and like you, in this moment of grief we join you in saying boston, you're my home. we've all had those moments. when you lost the thing you can't believe you lost. when what you just bought, just broke. or when you have a little trouble a long way from home... as an american express cardmember

you can expect some help. but what you might not expect, is you can get all this with a prepaid card. spends like cash. feels like membership. departure. hertz gold plus rewards also offers ereturn-- our fastest way to return your car. just note your mileage and zap ! you're outta there ! we'll e-mail your receipt in a flash, too. it's just another way you'll be traveling at the speed of hertz.

because every flake is double-toasted... splashed with sweet honey... and covered in rich double-roasted peanuts. mmm. [ hero ] yummy. [ male announcer ] kellogg's crunchy nut. it's super delicious! i have a cold, and i took nyquil, but i'm still "stubbed" up. [ male announcer ] truth is, nyquil doesn't unstuff your nose. what? [ male announcer ] it doesn't have a decongestant. no way. [ male announcer ] sorry. alka-seltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms plus has a fast acting decongestant to relieve your stuffy nose. [ sighs ] thanks! [ male announcer ] you're welcome. that's the cold truth! [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus. ♪ oh what a relief it is! ♪ [ male announcer ] to learn more about the cold truth and save $1 visit alka-seltzer on facebook.

the at kohl, tobacco and firearms national response team is expected to arrive at the site of the fertilizer plant explosion later today, this as harrowing stories emerged overnight from west, texas residents running to for their lives. >> i didn't know what was happening, why it was happening. i just know that it was just -- loud, loud, booming. and people screaming and running and -- i just know that we were, i was just trying to get my son to safety and stuff. >> a short time ago, texas governor rick perry provided this update.

>> president obama called from air force as he was en route to boston and we greatly appreciate his call and his gracious offer of support of course. and very quick turn-around of the emergency declaration that will be forthcoming. and his his offer of prayers. we greatly appreciate the president for his, his call. >> joining me now on the phone is ken surrey, an editor for the "waco tribune herald." what's the latest on the investigation, we were hearing from charles hadlock from nbc that they don't think there's a criminal side to this, but they have to shut everything down. what are you hearing from your sources? >> that's what they're looking at right now. there doesn't seem to be any indication that that would be the case. the officer that was, that announced it earlier was basically saying they wanted to treat it as that.

and really put their focus on it. but it really doesn't look like that would be the case. it will probably just be a very tragic accident. >> we expect there will be more casualties. would these be among the first responders, they were firearm, as you know, better than anyone fighting the fire when it blew up. >> exactly. there are several that are currently listed as missing. it certainly doesn't look good for those individuals, currently they are being considered missing. there are search and rescue efforts still on. it's not a recovery at this point. but enter is a full expectation that numbers of casualties, fatalities will increase. >> and they have course are, it's a volunteer fire force, so these are your average citizens, the mayor was, was part of the firefighting team he had said earlier. everyone is participating in that, as a town. >> exactly, it's a small town. and you just get that kind of community support.

and effort. everyone pitches in. >> what about the plant itself? how long has the plant been there. and were there ever safety considerations or concerns, inspections that you knew of previously? >> we didn't know a whole lot earlier. we have found out a little bit more today. there was an inspection back in 2007 where they did recognize the fact that it was you know, close to a couple of schools. near the, the nursing facility. but the, the texas department of quality said it was a minimal concern despite the proximity. there was an incident in february where there was a small fire that people had called 911 but it was a controlled burn. just someone getting more concerned with the fact that they saw it and knew there was a school nearby. but that turned out to be next to nothing.

of you know, sadly, that's not the case today. >> indeed it isn't. ken surrey, thank you for taking the time to talk about the devastating fire and explosion. that really leveled the town. and back in boston, an emotional pre-game ceremony during last night's bruins game in boston. the first professional sporting event since monday's bombings. as the legendary renney rancourt started off the national anthem singing alone, the crowd quickly joined in. ♪ oh say does that star-spangled banner yet wave ♪ ♪ oer the land of the free ♪ and the home of the brave >> even though the bruins ended up losing to the sabres, after

the game, both teams gathered at center ice to raise their sticks in a show of support for boston. ♪ [ female announcer ] life is full of little tests, but your basic paper towel can handle them. especially if that towel is bounty basic. the towel that's 50% stronger. in this lab demo even just one select-a-size sheet of bounty basic is stronger than one full sheet of the leading bargain brand. everyday life? bring it with bounty basic. the strong, but affordable picker-upper.

secretary of state john kerry wasn't able to be in his native boston for today's memorial service, boston was not far from his mind as he testified today. >> there's no secret that my heart and my head are in boston today, with the president. with the families. with a lot of friends. >> you know, you watch people running towards the chaos to help. you saw runners continue running from the marathon to the hospital to give blood. >> you saw people opening their homes to give comfort to complete strangers. it was just a remarkable outpouring. >> and tomorrow at 1:15 eastern i'll be moderating secretary of state kerry's first-ever google-plus hangout, we'll participate in a live online conversation, what's in it for america to engage in the world. you can watch it live on the

state department's google plus page and we'll have highlights for you here on msnbc. (announcer) scottrade knows our clients trade and invest their own way. with scottrade's smart text, i can quickly understand my charts, and spend more time trading. their quick trade bar lets my account follow me online

so i can react in real-time. plus, my local scottrade office is there to help. because they know i don't trade like everybody. i trade like me. i'm with scottrade. (announcer) scottrade. voted "best investment services company." by the armful? by the barrelful? the carful? how about...by the bowlful? campbell's soups give you nutrition, energy, and can help you keep a healthy weight. campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. when i first felt the diabetic nerve pain, of course, i had no idea what it was. i felt like my feet were going to sleep. it progressed from there to burning

like i was walking on hot coals to like a thousand bees that were just stinging my feet. i have a great relationship with my doctor. he found lyrica for me. [ female announcer ] it's known that diabetes damages nerves. lyrica is fda approved to treat diabetic nerve pain. lyrica is not for everyone. it may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. or swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, changes in eye sight including blurry vision, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling, or skin sores from diabetes. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain, and swelling of hands, legs, and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. those who've had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. having less pain... it's a wonderful feeling. [ female announcer ] ask your doctor about lyrica today. it's specific treatment for diabetic nerve pain.

to hear more of phyllis's story, visit lyrica.com. welcome back, congresswoman shelly pingtree testified in the house yesterday in support of ruth more act to pave the way for veterans to receive disability benefits linked to sexual assaults in the military. the bill's namer battled for 20 years to collect benefits for her ptsd. congresswoman joins me with ruth more and the executive director of the servicewomen's action network. welcome to all of you. congresswoman let me ask you, what's the state of play of the bill? i know there were hearings on the senate side, that senator gillenbrand conducted. you have held these hearings on the house side. what has to happen next to get the ruth moore act passed by congress? >> well, we're very enthusiastic

about this bill. senator tester as a companion bill in the senate and just this week we had a hearing in front of the veteran subcommittee, i think it got a very favorable response. chairman miller, the actual chair was there and they're planning to have a mark-up of it soon and we're just working on our goal to negotiate the language to get it through the place we want and we have high hopes for this moving forward. the congress's level of awareness of what should not be an issue that our military patriots have to face, has been raised tremendously over the last couple of years. and many of my colleagues have introduced bills this one we hope is starting to move forward and it couldn't have happened without the tremendous advocacy work of swan. but also without courageous people like ruth moore who have the guts to come forward and tell their story, not easy by any measure. >> and here you are today, appearing on television and talking about it ruth is not a

simple fact. talk to me about what you experienced and why you think this is necessary. >> i experienced a culture in the military that wasn't conducive to helping survivors. and i kept secret for many years because i was uncomfortable. and i didn't want to really share it. so when i started seeing the public opinion change, and i saw representative pingree's reg legislation come forward, i knew it was time to talk and to share my experience. >> and one of the things that was so shocking that i heard at the senate hearings, was that so many of the convicted offenders returned to their units. an astounding percentage. just returned to their units under the military code, i never understood this. how can you commit a sexual offense and not be drummed out of the military? >> well the amazing case was the

recent aviano air base case where a general overturned the sexual assault conviction of a junior officer, a lieutenant colonel. he had been convicted by a jury in a court-martial. >> i think it was unanimous. >> yes. and the general basically looked in and said -- you're free, you're free to go. and so -- >> is that being reviewed by the pentagon now? >> yes, secretary hagen completed his review and amazingly, it prompted proposal by the secretary of defense to change a portion of military law. it's not enough, but it's a good start. >> congresswoman, are you finding that the pentagon under chuck hagel, i know he hasn't been in office very long, he had a rocky confirmation process, do you have their attention? and are they responsive to your requests? >> they absolutely are. i don't think it could have gone anywhere near far enough. they say we have a zero tolerance policy and there's nothing like a zero tolerance policy going on out there. about you have increasing members of congress who are

actively engaged in this conversation. recently a group of us were over at the pentagon meeting with the vice chiefs of staff at all levels, they are saying we're trying to change the culture. we're trying to change the training, we're trying to change our ability to talk about this. and part of what they need to do is change the number of prosecutions and laws. as anu said and you've heard, the military code of justice does not exactly follow civilian law. and there are reasons it's different. but civilian law was updated a long time ago with respect to how victims should be treated, the issue of privacy. and it's time that the military changes the code of justice and also real prosecution, so that people can feel safe coming forward and telling their story. these are people serving our country in the military. it happens to men and women. but the culture has been, don't you dare come forward, you may lose your job, the pain work may be lost. you will be branded as mentally unstable and interfere with your unit cohesion. all kinds of things that have been drummed into people.

and these are hard-working brave, brave, courageous women and men who are serving, who shouldn't have to serve under these conditions. >> the congresswoman makes a good point, ruth, is that men also experience these sexual assaults. i remember the testimony of one man who said he was shamed, because his fellow, fellow seamen i think that they were, i think he was in the navy, they all felt that he was complicit. that he had invited the attack rather than being attacked. >> yeah. that's a really common idea or scenario that men have. when i went to d.c. last time, i had a male ts following me around the airport and sharing that he was a survivor. and he thanked me for coming out. >> he's aware of your testimony? >> yeah. it was really empowering. >> what an impact. >> anu, that must be very at least until you get this

legislation passed, that must make you feel as though you're really accomplishing something as you represent your fellow former officers. >> we do feel like we're accomplishing a lot. we have 125 fellow veterans on capitol hill sharing their stories about being stories about being sexually assaulted while they were in the military. they're doing that courageous step so others don't get assaulted and harmed. >> are there retaliations or do they have to worry about their safety, those still in the sfts, in the unit? >> absolutely. there's still a huge fear of retaliation. we get calls from even overseas where people are afraid to report because their commanding officers or fellow members of their unit will not support them and they see so few cases are prosecuted that occasionally even convictions are overturned and that doesn't inspire much faith in the system. >> thank you so much for what you're doing.

ruth moore, you have stood up so bravely. there will be a bill and it will have your name on it and you will be thanked by generations of military officers and men and women and the rank and file and congresswoman, thank you so much. we'll come back. >> thank you for what you're doing for us. >> you bet. and following the memorial service in boston today the president went across the street to the ka thee dram high school gym where he thanked members of the boston athletics association. that is the group that hosts and volunteers for the marathon. >> i'm not going to speak long. you'll start calling me reverend oba. on the main message in addition to having the chance to shake some hands and give some hugs is just to say how proud the whole country is of you. how grateful we are -- how

grateful we are that in the face of chaos and tragedy, all of you displayed the very best of the american spirit. >> thank you. >> you displayed grit. you displayed compassion. you displayed civic duty. you displayed courage. and when we see that kind of spirit, there's something about that that's infectious. it makes us all want to be better people. you've inspired the entire country. you've inspired the world. and for that you should be profoundly proud. but, you know, as de-val and i were talking as we were driving in from the airport, the key is that we hang onto a little bit of that.

because it's right there under the surface. it expresses itself in the marathon. it expresses itself in patri patrioti patriotism. it expresses itself in all the small interaction, expressions of kindless and generosity and toleran tolerance, and compassion. it's the fabric of our lives. we don't always celebrate it or pay attention to it. it's not usually celebrated on tv. it's not what's reported on. but that's who we are. and if there was anything that was a theme in that interfaith service is that out of these ashes, out of the blood that's spilled and the injuries worn, we get a chance to see and high light and appreciate that

spirit. and we've got to sustain it because, you know, in all of our lives at some point there are going to be some troubles, and there's equal in the world and there's hardship but if that spirit is evident and manifest and that's what we're keep teaching our kids and that's what we're embodying in our own lives, then who can stop us? who can touch us? so thank you, everybody. i'm proud of you. i'm proud of boston. and i just said i'm looking forward to the 118th boston marathon. god bless you. >> and that does it for this edition of "andrea mitchell reports." remember, follow the show online and on twitter. my colleague tamron hall has a look at what's next on

"newsnation." >> hi, everyone. search and rescue operations continue in west, texas, after a massive explosion at a fertilizer report and now there are reports there were concerns of the proximity of that plant to homes and schools. and republican opposition may have stopped back ground checks on guns but what about immigration reform. the bipartisan senators working on reform are now aiming to stop conservative attacks. we'll have the tales as they unveil their new legislation, new bill in the next hour. we'll bring you more on that live. as for the gun fallout, gun debate, the president says that was round one. what's up for round two? plus what a newtown family member said that rand paul said the president was using newtown families as, quote, props. that's all next on "newsnation." e would absolutely not have taken a zip line in the jungle.

(screams) i'm really glad that girl stayed at home. vo: expedia helps 30 million travelers a month find what they're looking for. one traveler at a time. expedia. find yours. to your table for a limited time! it's our seafood dinner for two for just 25 dollars! a handcrafted seafood feast made to share.

first you each get salad and unlimited cheddar bay biscuits. then choose two from a wide variety of chef-inspired entrées like our new honey garlic crispy shrimp or new seafood lover's linguini. round out your seafood dinner with your choice of either an appetizer or dessert to share! don't miss our seafood dinner for two, just $25 at red lobster, where we sea food differently. i remember thinking there's a lot i have to do... check my blood sugar, eat better. start insulin. today i learned there's something i don't have to do anymore. my doctor said with levemir® flexpen... i don't have to use a syringe and a vial. levemir® flexpen comes prefilled with long-acting insulin taken once daily for type 2 diabetes to help control high blood sugar. dial the exact dose. inject by pushing a button. no drawing from a vial. no refrigeration for up to 42 days. levemir® (insulin detemir [rdna origin] injection) is not recommended to treat diabetic ketoacidosis. do not use levemir® if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. the most common side effect is low blood sugar,

which may cause symptoms such as sweating, shakiness, confusion, and headache. severe low blood sugar can be serious and life threatening. ask your health care provider about alcohol use, operating machinery, or driving. other possible side effects include injection site reactions. tell your health care provider about all medicines you take and all of your medical conditions. get medical help right away if you experience serious allergic reactions such as body rash, trouble with breathing, fast heartbeat, or sweating. flexpen® is insulin delivery my way. covered by most insurance plans, including medicare. ask your health care provider about levemir® flexpen today.

hi, everyone. i' news. the on going search after the massive explosion in texas. we're getting our first view of the air from texas. right now rescuers are going door to door looking for people who may still be trapped in their smouldering homes. cameras captured the explosion and the horrified reaction. >> are you okay? >> dad, dad, i can't hear. >> cover your ears. >> let's get out of here. please, get out of here. >> the blast showered shrapnel and debris on the up to and terrified people miles way. >> it rattled everything in the house.